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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">An Historic Direct Action in a Forest Outside Atlanta</h1>Unicorn Riot - March 18, 2023</div>
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<img src="cid:ii_lfgzbele1" alt="image.png" width="428" height="241"><br><p>DeKalb County, GA – In broad daylight Sunday, March 5, a group of
about three hundred masked people wearing mostly camouflage and black
clothing <a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/police-raid-atlanta-forest-after-cop-city-opponents-overrun-security-post/">stormed the main police security outpost</a>
within the Weelaunee Forest at the proposed construction site of the
‘Cop City’ project. Demonstrators tore up silt fencing, and set an
office trailer, two UTVs, a mobile surveillance tower, and a front end
loader afire as police ran for cover. The group hurled rocks and
fireworks at the retreating police, who repositioned to a smaller
outpost across Key Road SE and worked furiously to close a gate behind
them to establish a barrier between themselves and the advancing group.</p>
<p>The moment marked an historic turn in both the environmental and
police abolitionist movements, as those seeking a climate-adaptive world
without police went on the offensive. An action involving this level of
mass participation in coordinated sabotage in defense of both the earth
and disenfranchised communities is unprecedented in the modern
environmental movement in the U.S.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Although urban uprisings against police violence have become a
visible part of the modern anti-police movement since at least the Oscar
Grant riots in Oakland, California in 2009, these events typically
occur shortly after the police kill someone or after the officers
responsible go unpunished. In preventing the construction of a police
training facility, where cops from across the country will train in
urban warfare tactics, the movement in Atlanta doesn’t wait for the
police to harm communities, but instead proactively targets the origin
of mass production of law enforcement officers and the replication of
militarized techniques. </p>
<p>In order to provide some insight into Sunday’s action, Unicorn Riot
interviewed one anonymous participant about what it felt like, the
motivations and strategies grounding it, and the future of the movement.</p>
<hr>
<h3><strong>Unicorn Riot:</strong> <strong>What was your experience of the action on Sunday, March 5?</strong></h3>
<p><strong>Anonymous Participant</strong>: I have never seen anything
like it in this country. Aside from acts of mass, “spontaneous”
rebellion such as riots or uprisings, this was the most serious act of
direct action I have ever witnessed a crowd perform. It was hundreds of
people in masks, many holding shields. Most wore camo or all-black. The
crowd was tight but not in a formation. It wasn’t regimented. This
wasn’t a military assault, it was only a march. The sun was up. The
weather was warm. The music festival crowd cheered and applauded us as
we passed them. I felt safe. I felt calm. The energy was not vengeful or
menacing. It was serious, it was bold, but it was light. I really felt
like I was with a group of people who want to make the world a better,
freer, safer, place. We were chanting <strong>“we are unstoppable, another world is possible.”</strong>
At the time, I really could feel that that was true. When we were close
to the [proposed] construction site, we had a police [helicopter]
hovering over us, we could see police inside of a fencing staring down
at us and we paused. The people holding shields moved to the front.
Everyone chanted and called out for those who had rocks or projectiles
to move behind the shields. You have to understand, people had different
objectives, different tools, dispositions etc. And not everyone wanted
to be up front, to hold a shield, to throw objects. Some people were
there as medics, or even to just hold space, to be present and
supportive in a more unstructured way or an unplanned way I could say.
When we approached the gate finally, it was not chaos, but it was
something like it. Our crowd unleashed a wild burst of energy. It was
incredible and I will never forget it. It was rhythmic almost. We
devastated all of their work. The silt fencing, the vehicles, the
trailer. Everything.</p>
<img alt="" src="https://unicornriot.ninja/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ccatl-1200x675.jpg" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img" style="margin-right: 25px;" width="428" height="241">Crowds
of militant direct action forest defenders march toward the ‘Cop City’
outpost on March 5, 2023 before chasing police away and destroying the
site.
<h3><strong>UR: What do you see as the goal and the broader strategy that the action fit into?</strong></h3>
<p><strong>Anonymous Participant: </strong>I think that at this moment,
defense of the land could form a serious and coherent strategy. I was
someone who was uncertain about this before. I am not sure of the
viability of permanent mass encampments after Tortuguita’s killing.
Maybe I am wrong. In any case, I think that this marks a new possible
way forward. Direct negation of the deforestation process. It’s not
about destruction and mayhem. It’s about taking care of the world we
want to build together. We have to be able to address the work they are
doing when they do it. There are a lot of ways to do that. I do not care
which way works, but in order to find the winning forms we will have to
try many things. I think people want to work together with as many
people as possible, but they also want to be effective. This
demonstration allowed for both of those things to happen. I also think
many people were fighting in memory of Tortuguita. <strong>“Viva viva Tortuguita”</strong> was a popular and recurring chant of the crowd.</p>
<h3><strong>UR: How do you see this action as fitting into the broader environmental movement in the U.S. and around the world?</strong></h3>
<p><strong>Anonymous Participant: </strong>Acts of sabotage have a long
history within environmental movements, within anti-colonial movements,
all kinds of struggles. Specifically, I think that large-scale land
reclamations in places throughout Latin America are a powerful example
for movements in the US to study. I think that the US environmental
movement has adapted itself to strategies that work well for small
groups. Essentially, they have embraced somewhat specialized,
training-intensive, forms of resistance. That has allowed people to do a
lot of things. But I think that this other format of action, of
unspecialized resistance, may have a better horizon to it. It’s an open
question. We will see what works. But I think all movements have a lot
to learn from the tactics employed during the George Floyd 2020
rebellion, and people should be thinking about that in specific and
applicable terms. And innovating on that, even. It’s not good enough to
nostalgize events, or to compare movements across contexts. We have to
be creative. We have to keep an open and light spirit about things.
Maybe in a few months I [will] say <strong>“OK, actually we made a mistake in March. It seems like we should have done X or Y.”</strong>
Actions can only be really judged by the effects they have in the
world, by what they make possible. We have to finally move away from
fetishistic or moralistic forms of action. We cannot dedicate our
politics to tactics.</p>
<h3><strong>UR: Do you think an action like this has precedent within the environmental movement?</strong></h3>
<p><strong>Anonymous Participant: </strong>It certainly does. For one
thing, Indigenous people have been engaged in actions like this for a
long time. It depends on how we understand an ‘environmental movement,’ I
suppose. In the current framework of ‘Soulevements de la terre’ in
France, acts of mass sabotage have devastated large job sites
repeatedly. It’s hard to discuss because, of course, anti-colonial
struggles often relate themselves to their landbase. And certainly
actions like this, and far beyond, are regular features within some of
those movements. But in the US, no. I don’t believe something quite like
this has ever occurred. Maybe I am wrong.</p>
<h3><strong>UR: How do you interpret the police response to the action?</strong></h3>
<p><strong>Anonymous Participant: </strong>I think the Governor must
have called in a panic. The police came into the forest an hour later,
and a mile away on the total opposite end of the area. They attacked a
music festival. Random people. And they were just kind of going nuts. I
think it was a symbolic intervention. A serious attack, no doubt. But
chiefly symbolic. The current administration has to prove to the ruling
class, to all of the corporate interests and investors working within
the Atlanta Committee for Progress, that they have a handle on the
situation. They have to prove to Delta, to The Woodruff Foundation, to
Bank of America, etc that they can suppress the resistance. The charges
against these poor concert-goers are completely specious. They are
supposed to make people scared, perhaps. Or to make people blame the
movement, to disidentify with direct action. But I think it’s having the
opposite effect. If anything, people are beginning to see the need for
more serious self-defense. We are seeing that the ruling class is not
afraid to unleash fascism to defend itself. A few days after the
protest, a group of people, a small group, were passing out fliers about
the movement downtown. Riot police arrived and made dispersal orders.
We are no longer living in a democratic society, for what that’s worth.
Not for the moment. That could change, of course. But if this is the
case, if the Mayor is willing to throw everything out the window, to
jeopardize his entire government in order to hold onto this project,
[then] the situation will escalate to historic proportions. Soon, nobody
will be able to stop what is developing.</p>
<h3><strong>UR: The police have circulated zoomed-in video allegedly
showing people fleeing the site of the action and changing clothes. They
claim (without concrete evidence) that all those arrested participated
in the direct action. How do you respond to that?</strong></h3>
<p><strong>Anonymous Participant: </strong>It’s kind of funny footage.
They want this to be like their smoking gun. Anyway, they have to prove
that these are the people that committed criminal acts, and that they
arrested those people. They haven’t done that. During the initial bond
hearing, the prosecutor argued in court that everyone at the festival
was guilty because they chanted <strong>“Stop Cop City.”</strong> This
is what we are actually dealing with. Unabashed suppression of free
speech. Some people changed out of their clothing. So what? I heard
people walking around telling concert goers to take off any camo or
black clothes if they didn’t want to be blamed. Personally, I saw a
friend of mine wearing a balaclava ironically or like just for fashion.
He had shorts and a t-shirt on, he didn’t go to the protest it was just
like a fun fashion statement. I told him to take it off. Maybe there is
footage of him! This is the level of “proof” they are rolling out for
cable TV. It’s a sign of their desperation that they are actually
attempting to legitimize collective punishment.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Editor’s Note: Unicorn Riot wants to make clear that this
interview is only one participant’s perspective, and it is not meant as a
comprehensive report about March 5, 2023, but a glimpse into at least
one person’s experience. </em></p>
<hr>
<h5><strong>Unicorn Riot</strong>'s coverage on the<strong> movement to defend the Atlanta Forest</strong>:</h5>
<ul><li><a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/unicorn-riot-coverage-of-the-movement-to-protect-the-atlanta-forest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Landing Page: Unicorn Riot Coverage of the Movement to Protect the Atlanta Forest</a></li><li><a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/manuel-tortuguita-terans-independent-autopsy-report-released-at-press-conference/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Manuel ‘Tortuguita’ Terán’s Independent Autopsy Report Released at Press Conference </a> (March 13, 2023)</li><li><a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/police-raid-atlanta-forest-after-cop-city-opponents-overrun-security-post/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Police Raid Atlanta Forest After ‘Cop City’ Opponents Overrun Security Post </a> (March 5, 2023)</li><li><a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/stop-cop-city-week-of-action-begins-in-atlanta/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Stop Cop City’ Week of Action Begins in Atlanta </a> (March 4, 2023)</li><li><a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/tortuguita-vive-a-no-compromise-movement-responds-to-police-killing-a-forest-defender/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Tortuguita Vive’: A No-Compromise Movement Responds to Police Killing a Forest Defender </a> (February 27, 2023)</li><li><a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/atlanta-activists-say-prosecutors-plan-to-indict-them-on-rico-charges/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Atlanta Activists Say Prosecutors Plan to Indict them on RICO Charges </a> (February 25, 2023)</li><li><a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/community-committee-cheers-police-violence-as-authorities-repress-resistance-to-cop-city/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Community’ Committee Cheers Police Violence as Authorities Repress Resistance to ‘Cop City’ </a> (February 24, 2023)</li><li><a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/supporters-of-cop-city-opponents-rally-in-philly/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Supporters of ‘Cop City’ Opponents Rally in Philly </a> (February 24, 2023)</li><li><a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/minneapolis-march-connects-roof-depot-demolition-resistance-to-the-atlanta-forest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Minneapolis March Connects Roof Depot Demolition Resistance to the Atlanta Forest </a> (February 21, 2023)</li><li><a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/atlanta-pd-releases-bodycam-footage-from-deadly-jan-18-forest-raid/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Atlanta PD Releases Bodycam Footage from Deadly Jan. 18 Forest Raid </a> (February 8, 2023)</li><li><a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/manuel-tortuguita-terans-family-seeks-transparency-in-police-killing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Manuel ‘Tortuguita’ Terán’s Family Seeks Transparency in Police Killing </a> (February 7, 2023)</li><li><a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/city-of-atlanta-and-dekalb-county-announce-agreement-amid-growing-opposition-to-cop-city/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">City of Atlanta and DeKalb County Announce ‘Agreement’ Amidst Growing Opposition to Cop City </a> (January 31, 2023)</li><li><a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/marches-and-vigils-across-the-us-respond-to-the-police-killing-of-forest-defender-tort/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marches and Vigils Across the US Respond to the Police Killing of Forest Defender Tort</a> (January 22, 2023)</li><li><a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/protester-shot-and-killed-by-officers-during-raid-on-atlanta-forest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Protester Shot and Killed by Officers During Raid on Atlanta Forest</a> (January 18, 2023)</li><li><a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/blackhall-intensifies-destruction-of-weelaunee-peoples-park-in-atlanta-forest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blackhall Intensifies Destruction of Weelaunee People’s Park in Atlanta Forest</a> (January 16, 2023)</li><li><a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2022/swat-teams-attack-atlanta-forest-encampments-activists-charged-with-terrorism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SWAT Teams Attack Atlanta Forest Encampments, Activists Charged with ‘Terrorism’</a> (December 18, 2022)</li><li><a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2022/defending-the-atlanta-forest-mini-doc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[Mini Doc] Defending the Atlanta Forest: Behind the Movement to Stop Cop City</a> (Oct. 9, 2022)</li><li><a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2022/cop-city-general-contractors-offices-attacked/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Cop City” General Contractors’ Offices Attacked</a> (May 19, 2022)</li><li><a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2022/police-raid-atlanta-forest-occupation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Police Raid Atlanta Forest Occupation</a> (May 18, 2022)</li><li><a href="https://unicornriot.ninja/2022/atlanta-fights-to-save-its-forest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Atlanta Fights to Save Its Forest</a> (May 14, 2022)</li></ul>
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